NRA told ‘anti-gun doctors’ to ‘stay in their lane’ hours before mass shooting

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NRA told ‘anti-gun doctors’ to ‘stay in their lane’ hours before mass shooting

A tweet by the National Rifle Association of America criticizing “anti-gun doctors” has sparked backlash in light of the Thousand Oaks mass shooting.

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The father of Cody Coffman gave an emotional interview after learning his son was one of the 11 victims of the Thousand Oaks shooting in California.USA TODAY

An NRA hat(Photo: Seth Perlman, AP)

A Wednesday tweet by the National Rifle Association of America that criticizes “anti-gun doctors” has sparked backlash in light of a Wednesday night mass shooting.

The tweet was published hours before a hooded gunman killed 12 people at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California.

“Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane,” the tweet read, specifically calling out the Annals of Internal Medicine. The controversial tweet linked to an article critical of medical papers that advocate for gun control.

As news of the Thousand Oaks shooting broke, the Annals of Internal Medicine and many physicians defiantly responded to the NRA. Many said physicians are uniquely qualified to form opinions on gun control policies as gun violence is a public health issue.

The NRA’s tweet linked to an article published by NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action that took particular aim at the American College of Physicians for its stance on guns.

Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane. Half of the articles in Annals of Internal Medicine are pushing for gun control. Most upsetting, however, the medical community seems to have consulted NO ONE but themselves. https://t.co/oCR3uiLtS7

The NRA’s article attempted to poke holes in American College of Physicians’ intent and methodology, saying “the ACP is apparently only interested in pseudo-science ‘evidence’ that supports their preferred anti-gun policies.”

The NRA did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

Here’s a sampling of the backlash to the NRA’s tweet:

The @NRA tells doctors to “stay in their lane” re #GunViolence. We wish we could. Instead, we pledge to talk to our patients about gun violence whenever risk factors are present. Click the link at the top of the page and join us https://t.co/deFA2WfFh7 ….

My lane as Pediatric ICU physician: why don’t YOU try being the person who has to go into a room & tell a family the worst possible news they are ever going to hear because the damage their kid came in with was beyond our saving? Not only is this OUR lane, YOU ARE IN IT. #GetOut

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